Location: 'The Cooks' - as they are known locally, are south of the equator and slightly east of the International Date Line consisting of 15 islands in total spread over 2 million square kms of the South Pacific Ocean. Samoa is to the west, French Polynesia to the east and New Zealand to the south. Rarotonga and Aitutaki are the two most popular islands.

Rarotonga is the largest island with white sand beaches and tranquil lagoons and a backdrop of majestic mountains. The town of Avarua is the capital and the international airport for the Cook Islands is located near Avarua and close to most of the resorts. There are a great choice of cafes and restaurants located on Rarotonga offering excellent cuisine and a nice local atmosphere.

The roads while narrow in parts are mostly tar sealed and excellent for touring by car and driver, rental car, motor cycling or cycling.

Aitutaki - a short 40 minute flight from Rarotonga is renowned for its many islets and motus (small islands) forming its famous lagoon which is bordered by long white sandy beaches lapped by the crystal clear blue Pacific waters.

How to get there: Air New Zealand flies non stop from Los Angeles with European and North American connections and daily non stop flights from New Zealand. Pacific Blue also operates non stop flights from New Zealand and both carriers offer connections from Australia. Air Tahiti operates direct services from Papeete (French Polynesia) while Air Rarotonga has daily flights (except Sundays) between Rarotonga and Aitutaki and less frequent services to the more remote islands.

Climate and culture: The Cook Islands enjoy a pleasant year round climate the hottest months being from December to March with temperatures ranging from 23 to 29 C. The cooler months are from June to September with temperatures from 18 to 25 C and there is very little variation between the seasons.

Over 90% of Cook Islanders are Polynesians with small minorities of Europeans, New Zealanders, Fijians, Indians and Chinese. The local language is Cook Islands Maori similar to New Zealand Maori, Tahitian and Hawaiian and English is spoken widely as a second language.

The Cook Islanders are famous for their traditional local dancing and reputed to be the best dancers in Polynesia! Dancing is traditionally performed in honour of Tangaroa, god of fertility and the sea and visitors (papa'a) are encouraged to participate - Friday is 'island night' and is very popular for dancing on Rarotonga and Aitutaki.

Another popular activity is to join the locals on Sunday at church and listen to their beautiful singing voices.